Current Issue #4 - Meeting the Needs of Special Needs Students

              For some school districts, meeting the needs of students with special needs can be problematic. During the 2016-2017 school year, 200,000 students were given Individualized Education Plans in the New York public city school system. With these plans students are supposed to receive services to help meet needs such as speech impairment or learning and physical disabilities. The annual report to the City Council by the New York State Education Department stated that, more than 48,000 students only partially received their services or did not get them at all.

              Some school districts are unable to provide special need services for their students because they do not have the necessary staff or the funds needed to hire specialized staff at their school. If a school cannot provide assistance for a special needs student they have to supply the parents with a voucher to get the services elsewhere. When the city’s public advocate, Letitia James, issued a report in 2017, she found that almost half of the 9,000 vouchers given out for the 2015-2016 school year went unused. Even though parents may have a voucher they may not have access to the proper services nearby. In some areas of the city, like the southeastern Bronx, there are not enough therapists available and many families do not have the means to travel elsewhere.

              Not providing the necessary services to special needs students has a negative impact on their education. They are unable to gain access to the many technological programs available for special needs students. The release of these reports has led to some families filing lawsuits against the New York State Department of Education claiming that they violated the child’s right to a free and appropriate education. More resources need to be dedicated to making sure these children have access to the teachers and therapists they require to receive and enhance their education.

Resource:

Harris, E. A. (2017, November 01). Thousands of City Children Not Getting Special Education        Help. Retrieved June 23, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/nyregion/special-education-nyc-schools.html